City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York.

As the sun sets on Election Day eve, I want to again thank you all for your kind comments regarding Hurricane Sandy's effect on our City.  I so appreciated hearing from you, and a week after Sandy's arrival, I am even more aware of how personally fortunate I have been.

For much of the past week, I remained in my immediate neighborhood, since public transportation was still in recovery mode, and my place of employment was closed due to lack of electricity.  

On Tuesday, the day after the storm, I ventured out to see what the streets and sidewalks looked like.  The following two photos show tables with plastic sheeting protecting the inventories of used books and magazines that are normally sold by independent vendors along these blocks of Broadway.  Most vendors' wares did seem to have escaped being converted to papier mache. 

Some of the trees lining the sidewalk lost some very large branches, but I did not notice much other damage.

My hope during this walk was that I might see that some businesses might be reopening.  This would be a good sign.  Indeed, I was happy that one of my favorite two food sources, the Fairway, was open although obviously the stock was very depleted.  I was able to find a loaf of bread and to chat with some of my favorite Fairway employees.  I was amazed at how many of those folks had been able to get to work.

In the ensuing days, television and Internet served to let me know how the City and surrounding areas were coping.  Some areas like the New York borough of Staten Island and the shore areas of Queens, Long Island and New Jersey are still in very bad shape.  Many homes were destroyed.  Many folks lost their lives.

This is an important political season, and Hurricane Sandy has definitely played a part in the follies.  It's been a time for good leadership, and we have seen such leadership from various politicians and elected officials.

Our Mayor had to bow to very strong public criticism and rescind his original decision to let the NYC Marathon go forward on Sunday.  

On Friday night, power was restored to the SoHo area where I work, and so it was possible for us to return to work on Saturday.  Public transport was still a bit weak, and so I allowed plenty of extra time for my trip to work.  I was able to take a subway train to 34th Street, and then walked the rest of the way (about a mile and a half.)  I am in reasonably good health and wore comfy shoes, and actually am glad to have had the opportunity to experience the early hours of the City returning to normal.

I was even more glad that some long-scheduled vacation time began for me when I left work on Saturday evening!

On Sunday afternoon, I took some buses and walked some, in order to have a bit of exercise and see Sandy's effect on other parts of the City.

The following photos shows Sunday's clear blue sky and also a distant view of the crane that was damaged by Sandy.

This additional view gives some idea of the wide area that was still closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.  I definitely had no wish to get any closer!

Returning to my Westside neighborhood I'd decided to see if the regular Sunday farmers market would be operating along its usual sidewalk site just behind the Museum of Natural History.  Well, the market was there and I found some wonderful little apples.  I also was very sad to see what was left of a very large tree that had been uprooted on the nearby grounds of the Museum.  Most the tree had already been chopped up and removed.  

The temporary wooden slat fence made a flimsy replacement for the iron fence that had been knocked over by the falling tree.  Perhaps you can just see some of the mangled metal fence in the lower right hand corner of the next photo?

Here's just one more photo of the remains a beautiful tree that had graced the neighborhood for many, many years.

This morning, I had arranged to meet my delightful friend Elizabeth, who writes several wonderful blogs, including About New York.  Our plan was to meet near the large Union Square farmers market, to have a bite to eat, chat about our usual vast variety of topics, and explore what fruit, veg or plants might be available at the farmers' stands.

Well, the area usually devoted to the Market was filled with various vehicles and machinery from our local Con Edison electric utility company and from other utility companies from as far away as Arkansas and Illinois.  Our City is being helped by many dedicated, hard working folks.

I liked the look of the chalked sidewalk directions to the relocated Market site.

It is possible that by next week all the hard work will allow the Farmers to return to their usual location.

Elizabeth and I elected to stop for our late morning refreshments in a cafe located within the magical environment that is the large ABC Carpet & Home shop.  To reach the charming cafe with its scrubbed wooden tables, comfy chairs and delicious food, we needed to thread  our way amongst many tempting merchandise displays including these quaint and recently probably quite useful oil lamps.

Even though we have just gotten past Halloween (without our usual giant, wacky, free form Halloween Parade...Sandy's trick) ABC was already getting into a Yule time mood.

This sort of frivolous display was a good antidote to the challenging times that have recently faced so many.  Even better was to sit down and have a wonderful catch up with a dear friend.  Elizabeth may indeed post a photo of the cafe.

And yes, we did eventually make our way to the relocated Market.  I found beautifully fresh broccoli and Elizabeth found splendid apples and a massive butternut squash.  The sun was lovely and the air was brisk.  There was a good spirit in the air.

I hope that there will be a huge voter turnout tomorrow.  I rather expect that I might be staying up late tomorrow night and posting another blog pretty soon. 

Best wishes to you all. 

City Views, Country Dreams

Good morning from New York.

Many thanks to all you kind folks who sent caring messages as that strange and powerful Hurricane Sandy made her way to and through the New York City area.

We were all given adequate advance warnings about Sandy's unique size and path, and were able to get to our homes or other safe destinations before the City's public transport systems all shut down at 7 p.m. Sunday evening.

From that point on, I joined millions of other folks in a pre-storm vigil.  We had lots of rain and strong winds beginning late Sunday night and continuing all yesterday, before Sandy made her actual appearance hereabouts.  My limited window views indicated not much increase in the rain, but a very great increase in the wind.  

Monday night also featured a full moon, and the tides were record breakers in all shoreline areas here in NYC and also in neighboring Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.

River and ocean water did not stay in the rivers or the Atlantic.  This became a huge problem affecting our electrical sources.

Around 10 pm last night vast parts of Manhattan, below 34th Street (think of Macy's or the Empire State Building) lost electricity.

I am going to share some sketchy photographs I took of my television screen last night to show you all a bit of what was being communicated by our local media.

The following photos show attempt to use sandbags to protect the electrical rail tracks before water entered the rail tunnels.  This morning, we have no idea when mass public transportation will be able to resume service.

I admit that it's taken me a while to figure out just what the next photo actually shows.  It's Times Square.  See the yellow marquee of The Lion King on the left of the photo?  The shows obviously did not go on last night and most likely won't go on tonight either. 

The following picture is of the skating rink at Rockefeller Center.  Water, water everywhere.

And here's an on scene reporter showing just how deep water was in a particular part of town.

Earlier in the afternoon, a giant crane being used in constructing what will be NYC's tallest residential building (on West 57 Street near Sixth Avenue) collapsed in the strong wind.  The entire surrounding area was closed to all traffic and buildings were evacuated.  Scary stuff indeed!

Another scary effect of the storm was the need to evacuate all patients from the 18-story tall New York University Hospital after electricity went out and not all the hospital's back-up generators could perform.  Patients are still being evacuated this morning...remember, no elevators were working.

And so, you all can have a bit of a view of what we have experienced and the vast challenge facing now facing us to get back to normal.  The damage is unprecedented.  No one can accurately predict just how long it will take to get electrical service and public transportation restored.

I will keep you all updated.  Meanwhile, I do count my blessings.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

In a couple of hours I will be watching tonight's televised final Presidential debate.  These debates provide the ultimate in Live television and no one (not even the participants) can actually predict how the 90 minutes will play.

Meanwhile, let me show you all some pictures I took on Sunday afternoon.  Halloween is not far off now, and autumn has begun changing the color scheme in Central Park.

In past Octobers, I've posted photos of a brownstone filled block near my own street that has  a special way of celebrating Halloween.  On my Sunday afternoon walk I saw only this inflatable decoration already in place.  Jolly yes, but perhaps only a tiny preview of what will be in place in another week.

And so, I continued walking towards Central Park, and in the next block came across a brownstone house that had gone decoration mad.  My photos truly do not do justice to the over the top efforts.

I was not the only afternoon passerby with a camera.  Several family groups were taking photos of various bits of the ghoulish displays.  Not one child seemed at all scared in the sunny mid afternoon.

Jeepers!

If you looked above, a giant spider bobbed in the breeze.

Back down at street level, if you looked behind you, a strange scarecrow stood tall.

The braver folks might have taken a closer look at the actual entrance way to the house.  I saw no one who walked up those stairs to ring the door bell.

And above the doorway...yet more spiders!

On the other side of the stairway leading up to the front door, I saw more scary spirits giving us their own seasonal greetings.

It was a bit of a relief to keep on walking towards Central Park, and to find some other houses had somewhat more subdued decorations in place.

These little ghosties are kind of cute.

On to the Park, so that I could see how the leaf colors might have changed since my last walk.  The brilliant sunshine dazzled my eyes and emphasized nature's beauty.

Those buildings on the other side of the Lake are on Fifth Avenue.

Somehow, the golden tones of these leaves with the blue of the Lake behind them remind me of some of the Japanese screens and kimonos on display at the Met.

How wonderful to look up and not see giant spiders!  

As my walk continued, I could not resist taking this photo of two youngsters' bikes leaning against the rustic fence.  You can also see some of the beauty of the autumn leaves in the background

I hope that you all will enjoy these glimpses of the scenic variety I viewed on a relatively short walk on a Sunday afternoon.  I was quite tired on Sunday after a very busy Saturday workday, but felt completely refreshed after my stroll.

Isn't it interesting how a change of scene, some exercise and interesting sights can help banish achy muscles or weary minds?

City Views, Country Dreams

Good morning from New York.

Many years ago, I lived downtown in a neighborhood that became known as SoHo, an abbreviation of South of Houston Street.  At that time it was not really a residential neighborhood.  Most of us who lived there were artists who had commercial leases with the quiet collaboration of our landlords, who were happy to fill large, primitive, spaces in their buildings formerly used by light industrial businesses.  Many of these businesses were textile-related.

The facades of many of these buildings were decorated with cast iron.  Most of these buildings were not in great shape and were cold in winter.

The picture below shows a current view of where I once lived.  The building is now painted off white.  It was not painted when I lived there on the fourth floor (third floor to some readers.)  I think the fire escape was a rusty green.

I reluctantly left my loft in the early 1980's because I could no longer afford to live there, and  had not had an official lease for some time.  By the time I left, the term Loft had attained glamour and SoHo was awash with galleries, restaurants and small unique shops.

Since then, the neighborhood's galleries and most artists have moved on.  Big commercial interests (Chanel, Prada, Tiffany, etc.) have arrived.  The primitive old lofts have been vastly  improved and house millionaires.  Tourists still seem intrigued by quaintness we old timers no longer see.

I now work in a SoHo shop, and had an interesting experience last Sunday.  An older gentleman entered the shop and, as is our way, we greeted him and his companion, and let it be known we were there to assist.  

The gentleman and his companion walked around for a while and then seemed ready to depart, and so I inquired if I could help him find what he was looking for.  He smiled and replied no, because it wasn't there anymore.  This intrigued me and so I said that we often here that phrase...what was it that he sought?

And so, he told me.  Years ago, he'd made a movie in the neighborhood and was trying to find the location he'd used.  He said the film was An Unmarried Woman.  Well!  Of course, I remembered the film very well, and was able to tell this gentleman that the film was made on Greene Street where I had lived.  This gentleman was Paul Mazursky, the writer and director of that wonderful movie.  It was such a pleasure to meet him, and to be able to direct him to the street where I'd lived.

If any of you have seen the film, perhaps you will remember that last scene of the unmarried woman trying to carry a very large canvas down a street?  If you've not seen the film, I would recommend it!

Now, I will wrench myself from nostalgic indulgence and show you what's happening in Central Park these autumn days.

By the Lake, there are some late flowering plants and shrubs, and the weather is still warm enough for rowboats and ducks to share the water.

Alas, the next photo is not clear enough to provide evidence of two fast-moving little hummingbirds who were feasting yesterday afternoon.  I do not believe that I had ever before seen a hummingbird!

I continued my walk by the lake, and somehow did not take lake photos.  Instead, I will treat you to some of the decorative sculptures along the grand staircase that leads to the Bethesda Fountain area.

You can see how intricate these nature inspired sculptural friezes are.

I think that they are quite beautiful.

Heading just a bit south of the Bethesda area, I came upon the old Band Shell plaza area, that has many benches and quite a few large, decorative planters.  Pleased do not be fooled by the  next photo.  That gorgeous leafy tree is not, repeat not, growing from the planter.

As you look at the next picture, imagine that you can hear the bossa nova saxophone music played by the gentleman  just to the right of the lamp post on the left.  You can also imagine having ice cream or a hot dog or other snacks purchased from the vendors to the right.

Here is a reminder that Central Park really is in the middle of  Manhattan.

It's always interesting to see what improvements are underway around the Park.  Although I saw no workers yesterday, someone has definitely been doing a fine job in making an attractive amendment to an existing pathway 

The project is not yet complete.

These stones look very heavy.  Would any of you all like to volunteer to finish the project?

As always, there are quiet places in crowded New York, where a couple might enjoy a sweet romantic moment.  This boulder makes a sweet spot.

The shadows were beginning to grow, as they do earlier each afternoon, and so I began walking home.  I passed by another little grove featuring a wonderful mix of plants.  I do not know what this pale pink berry might be.

I thought it interesting that now that summer has departed, we again get a glimpse of golden yellow flowers.  It does not seem so long ago that the daffodils charmed us with their colors.

I hope that you all are also enjoying these late September days.  They have much to offer!

City Views, Country Dreams

Good morning from New York.

It's now quite early on Saturday, and I am nearing the end of a very enjoyable week of vacation days.  Thank you all very much for all the birthday wishes.  You have helped me launch this newest year in my life in very good company.

Let us now move on to the results of the give away.

This is how I determined who would soon be wearing the crocheted blue beret.  The names of all the folks who commented on the previous post were written on these little slips of paper.

These slips of paper were folded up and tossed into a brightly colored paper bag.  That bag was shaken around quite a few times.

One folded slip of paper was drawn.  The folded slip of paper was unfolded, and the winner is Madelief, whose beautiful site is a joy to visit.

Madelief, I would ask you to send me your mailing address via e-mail, and also please send me a measurement of your head that will ensure that the beret will be a comfortable fit.  This hat will be a couture one off design!

I've had such a pleasant birthday week, spending lots of time outdoors, seeing friends, reading, finishing and beginning various projects, actually cleaning the apartment, visiting farmers markets, museums and galleries and just plain old relaxing.

It is with some reluctance that I now begin to confront the reality of tomorrow's return to the workplace.  I will also be contemplating when I might be able to have another week to myself.  I hope that you all will forgive me this greediness!

Thank you all for your visits and comments.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good afternoon from New York.

It is a beautiful clear day with low humidity, very similar weather to that on another September 11 morning some years ago.  

I paused a bit after typing that sentence.  Perhaps some of you might also pause a bit after reading it.

I'll now move on.  September 12 is my birthday.  This is, according to the Blogger counter, my 200th post.  I thought it might be nice to mark these dual milestones by offering  something to you kind folks who've visited here over the years.

This will be my first give away.  I have crocheted a hat just for this occasion.

The hat is a sort of exaggerated beret style, and is about 11 inches at this widest diameter.  I used a selection of blue or blue/green colors and most of the yarns are DK weight wool, with the exception of some soft Debbie Bliss Cashmerino and some wispy Rowan Kidsilk.

I've taken several photos so that you will be able to get some idea of what the hat is like.

The following photo shows the deep edging band that allows the hat to stay on one's head.  I also included some of the contributing yarns in this photo so you can see more of what the shades are like.

I made the hat yesterday during that marathon tennis match between victorious Andy and previously victorious Novak.  My television is in failing health, and so I followed the US Open finals via the US Tennis Association's web site.  The picture was jumpy, but it still gave me some sense of what those two excellent players went through on a very, very windy and then chilly afternoon and evening.

Oh, back to the give away.  If you would like a chance to have this hat warming your noggin this winter, please do leave me a comment by Friday, September 14.  I will draw a winner's name on September 15.

Meanwhile, I will now return to yet another lace knitting project.  

So far I am truly enjoying having an entire week off from the shop.  It's grand to make up each day as I please.  

Once again, many thanks to you all for your visits.